🧵🧵 PART 1 Fallen warriors of Special Operations Forces. 🇺🇦 🕯️ July 29: Day of Remembrance for Fallen Special Operations Forces Especially remembering the 2014 Snizhne mission, where a 3rd Regiment team were ambushed while attempting to rescue pilots

Throwback Thursday: 📚 History Matters March 2014 — As Russia’s war against Ukraine began, the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” was among the first to be deployed to the frontlines.

In the chaos of combat, communication is everything. Radios are the lifeline that connects soldiers, commanders, and support teams — turning individual fighters into a coordinated force. Without reliable radios: 🔹 Orders get delayed or lost

🎯 Frontline Skills: Breathing, Balance, and Precision In combat, accuracy isn’t just about pulling the trigger — it’s about control. Every soldier must learn to manage their breathing, body, and weapon as one unified system.

🩸 The Last Lesson Before the Frontline The day before deployment, soldiers from the Alcatraz Battalion gathered in the dirt for one last tactical medicine course taught by Green Cross.

Hidden in a blindage — safe, silent, watching. But without radios, that safety ends the moment we need to speak. When we don’t have radios, we’re forced to leave cover, step into danger, and run messages under drones and fire. One transmission. One order.

Even in war, there are smiles. Big ones. The kind that stop you in your tracks and remind you what we’re fighting for. Behind the weight of gear, the hours of training, and the reality of war — there are human hearts still beating with life.

He climbs the hill with everything he needs to survive strapped to his back — rifle, shovel, sleeping roll, pack. Every ounce matters. Every step is purpose. This is what a soldier looks like when there’s no one else to carry the weight.

This is the reality of war. Men who volunteer to crawl into this dirt-walled blindage — no comfort, no escape from the summer heat and relentless mosquitoes — all to protect Ukrainians from genocide.

Survival in war isn’t chance — it’s skill, discipline, and preparation. And behind every soldier learning to fight stands an instructor who’s already lived through the things we’re training for. They don’t shout for attention — they command it. They’ve seen the cost of hesitation.

Somewhere in Donetsk Oblast, a soldier from our battalion lies down in the tall grass during a rare quiet moment — staring at photos on his phone. Not tactical maps. Not messages from command. Pictures of someone he loves. In war, we cling to the things that remind us we’re still human.

📚 This used to be a school. Now it’s just walls charred by war. Empty windows staring out at a future stolen. Behind us is not just a building — it’s the symbol of everything we’re trying to protect. Children should be filling these classrooms, not soldiers standing in their ruins.

Some acts of kindness go far beyond words — they save lives. Thanks to Team Bravo, our battalion was connected with Eldon Biologicals, who generously donated 350 blood type testing cards to us. Before this, we were fundraising to buy them ourselves.

In this war, falling is part of the process. We trip, we get tired, we get hit. But what defines us is that we keep going. Every soldier here knows: resilience isn’t about never falling. It’s about standing back up — again and again — with purpose.

This is where it starts. Before the first trench. Before the first ambush. Before the first time you don’t know if you’ll make it back. It starts here — on the range, on tired knees, under the weight of your gear, refilling your magazines. One round at a time. One habit at a time.

Lunch doesn’t come with a clock here. It comes when it can—between drone alerts, after digging new cover, or while waiting on orders that may change in five minutes. Sometimes it’s cold soup in a chipped bowl. Sometimes just bread and tea.

🚨 We’re an assault infantry battalion — speed, stealth, and mobility can mean the difference between life and death. Our commander managed to bring us a converted electric ATV. It needs work, and it’s not quite getting us the distance or the speed we need… but right now, it’s all we have.

📦 A Package That Carried More Than Just Food We want to send a heartfelt thank you to Поліна Польна, who recently began supporting our battalion — and to her friend, whose package of food made it all the way to our position.

📸 In this moment, every soldier’s eyes are locked on the shotgun in their instructor’s hands. Not because it’s new — but because it’s their last resort. This is what training to fight enemy FPV drones looks like when you don’t have the right equipment.

This was once a safe position. A quiet place to rest, boil water, gather strength. Now, it’s too dangerous to return. FPV drones have changed the battlefield. Their range has increased dramatically.

On the ground, after every firefight, you’ll find the truth of this war scattered in brass. Spent casings. One by one, they might not look like much. But together — they were survival. They were the difference between losing and holding the line. It’s the same with support.

He entered military school at just 15. While other kids were dreaming about the future, he was already preparing to defend it. By the time Russia invaded in 2014, he wasn’t a boy anymore. He was a soldier — and he’s been fighting ever since. Ten years of war.

A rifle in our hands is protection. It’s our shield, our offense, our survival. But a weapon alone can’t do everything. Without power stations, we can’t charge radios or drones. Without antennas, we can’t call for medics or reinforcements.

30 Seconds to Survive Out here, you don’t get time to think. You get 30 seconds or less to run, drop, and disappear — because that’s how long it takes a drone to spot you. That’s why we train our infantry soldiers to move in full gear, find cover, and vanish into the terrain.

🗺️ Frontline Realities – Donetsk Oblast, July 2025 Intense Pressure Along Key Directions Russian forces are focusing their summer offensive along Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka and Novopavlivka axes, aiming to cut Ukrainian supply lines and expand control. Heavy Fighting Around Critical Towns

🛡️ Holding the Line — With Blood and Will Right now, our battalion is holding the line in Donetsk Oblast. Not in theory. Not in headlines. With our blood, with our bodies, and with the 93rd Brigade — standing shoulder to shoulder in the mud and fire. This isn’t just about survival.

🟦🟨 Батальйон «Алькатрас» 93-ї бригади набирає!

This isn’t just a group photo. These are the soldiers of our battalion — men who’ve become brothers, defenders, medics, drivers, drone pilots, cooks, mechanics. Every one of them has a name. A family. A story. A reason to fight — and a reason to come home.

This is what preparation looks like. Not bullets. Not explosions. Just sweat. Silence. Grit. Our soldiers lined up, planking in full gear. It’s not comfortable. It’s not easy. But neither is war. We train our bodies to hold steady under pressure.

No drama. No music. Just a few seconds of truth. Two soldiers, heading toward the trenches on an ATV. A destroyed tank on the side of the road — a reminder of how close the danger always is. The sun is beating down. The dust chokes the air. There’s no shade. No pause. No safety.

We’ve finished fundraising for our first anti-drone system. It’s a win — one we’re deeply grateful for. But war doesn’t pause to celebrate. The needs keep growing, and as leaders, we feel that weight every hour.

When a medic kisses a roll of compression bandages, you know times are tough. Out here, ankles get beaten down to the bone. Marching. Digging. Running for cover. Sweat soaked boots. No time to rest. Skin splits open. Muscles swell. Infections creep in.

🛰️ What Are Drone Detectors — and Why Do We Need Them? Before we can stop a drone — we have to see it. That’s where drone detectors come in. These devices scan the airwaves and detect the unique radio signals that enemy drones use to communicate with their operators.

🛠️ Tool of the Week: The Tactical Shovel Our rifles face forward. Our shovels ride on our backs. One to fight. One to survive. This week’s #ToolOfTheWeek is the humble tactical shovel — and out here, it’s as critical as any weapon we carry.

On the front, we’ve learned to live without. Without comfort. Without routine. Often without the basic things most people never have to think twice about. But then a box arrives. Some food. A few hygiene products. Socks. And for a moment, things feel normal again. Human again.

We’re almost there. Let’s bring this anti-drone jammer to life — and into the field. Final push. Join us. 👉 www.paypal.com/donat... #OperationDroneDown #SupportUkraine

She’s not in the picture. You see two of her eight puppies curled up beside a box covered in camouflage netting — but their mother? She still won’t come close. She watches us from a distance. She stays in the shadows. But a days ago, she did something that said everything.

Look closely. All you see is the top of a helmet in the distance. Just a sliver. Just enough to wonder if someone’s there. But if you were the enemy — you wouldn’t be wondering. You’d already be dead. This is what we train for: To move like shadows. To blend into the earth.

It’s 36°C, the air is thick with dust, and we’ve been sweating through our gear for hours. Out here, fresh socks and clean underwear aren’t just nice — they’re life-saving morale. In this photo, we've just had our weekly wash and one of our soldiers just got a new pair.

You’ve already helped us come this far — thank you. Now we need to finish the fight. Help us fund an anti-drone jammer for our unit. One last push. 👉 www.paypal.com/donat... #OperationDroneDown #SupportUkraine

Every battalion has one. The soldier you can never get a serious photo of. While the rest of us are lining up, trying to look tough or tired or just not blink — he’s pulling a face, cracking a joke, giving bunny ears behind someone’s helmet. Even when the day’s been hell.

A backpack, a shovel, and a CamelBak. On their own, they might not look like much. But out here, in the dirt and the tree lines, they mean everything. 🥾 The backpack carries essentials we can’t afford to lose. 💧 The CamelBak keeps us hydrated on 20km patrols. 🪓 The tactical shovel?

“7 Months in Uniform — A Lifetime in the Making” 7 months ago today, I signed my name and became a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But my war didn’t start that day.

In this photo, you see one of our soldiers mid-training — camouflaged, focused, and pointing forward. This isn’t just a pose. It’s preparation. Camouflage isn’t about disappearing — it’s about adapting.

We’ve seen firsthand what FPV drones can do. They’ve hit trenches. Vehicles. People. The right anti-drone system can stop them. Help us bring one to the front. 👉 www.paypal.com/donat... #OperationDroneDown #SupportUkraine #FPV

These flags have been with us on the front in Donetsk Oblast — held by the hands of the Alcatraz Battalion. Now, we want one send it to one of you — someone who stands with us, supports us, and helps us keep Ukraine in the hearts of the world. 💛 Want to win it? Here’s how:

He doesn’t hold a rifle. He holds a remote, a signal, and a steady hand. This is one of our drone pilots in the Alcatraz Battalion — silent, focused, and absolutely essential. Every mission he flies with those goggles on means fewer losses on the ground.

The world keeps moving. News cycles shift. But we’re still here — in Donetsk. Fighting. Holding. Living. We are the ones who stayed. And with your help, we’ll survive until it’s over. #DonetskStillFighting #AlcatrazBattalion #ZSU #SupportUkraine

Russian drones don’t just spy — they kill. Anti-drone systems help us jam them before they drop their payload. We’re raising funds for one right now. Can you help us get it into position? 👉 www.paypal.com/donat... #OperationDroneDown #SupportUkraine #FPVWar #ZSU

What is an anti-drone system — and why does our battalion need it? Russian FPV drones are silent killers. They fly low, fast, and often too small to detect. They're guided in real time to strike vehicles, trenches, and even individual soldiers.